Trangia!

[frankmorris]

Another newbee question, Thinking of getting the Trangia 27 cookset but is it best to go for the gas converter they do, have heard the cooking times are a lot faster and is the gas easy to get hold of through France and Spain? cheers

 

[rualexander]

Gas may be faster but it is much more expensive and probably not as easy to find in the shops.

 

[Brains]

A browse will show you there are a number of threads on this area of the forum on the subject of Trangia's.

In summary:
Get gas, but take the meths burner with you
The screw on gas bottles used in most of Europe are not easy to get in France, but can be found in hardware shops and proper cook shops as paint strippers and brulee burners use them. Also you may find them in some campsite shops where they get in a lot of English/Dutch backpackers or cycle tourists
There is a converter that can be got that converts pierced gas into screw gas.

Get the full Trangia 25K teflon (the bigger one, with the kettle and the non stick surface) You can always leave the bits you don't need out for a trip, but when weight does not matter it's good to have all the bits.

'Optional' Trangia items that are also worth getting are:
The plastic strainer (I don't know why it's optional, as it's not)
The bag to put the entire stove in
A second gripper (one is not enough)
A Tupperware circular butter dish that fits inside the kettle. This is where you keep the meths burner. (Again, not really an 'optional' item, as it means your food does not taste of meths, or your clothes smell of meths)
The 1 liter Trangia meths bottle - much easier to pour from, so saves meths.

It's also worth going into a proper kitchen/cooking shop as I also have as part of my kit:
A paring knife (about a 3" blade, with a sheath)
A nutmeg grater (it's a micro cheese grater)
Salt and pepper mills (About 1" high)
Several very small containers for herbs and spices
A Union Jack tea towel (doubles up for peak bagging)
I also divide up all the pots and pans etc with quarter sections of a J-Cloth, stops things rattling and can be used for washing up.

 

[willem]

I really don't see any need for gas for solo use. Meths is far easier to get in France than Lindall valve cannisters (never seen them in France), and cooking for one meths is hot enough. For solo use the Trangia 27 is big enough, and packs smaller than the 25 (a stove for two, or only just 3 at a stretch, and not for 3-4 as Trangia claims). Get the ultralight version, as it is significantly lighter (some special offers are the heavier version, so beware). I like the hard anodized version, as it is much easier to clean, and does not stick as much. If non stick matters to you, I would go one further and get a Teflon frying pan (but only HA for the pots). The drawback of the Teflon is that it wears fast (but you can buy new frying pans separately) and it is a bit heavier. You do not need a kettle (use a pot), and I would suggest leaving most of the other accessoiries as well. Weight matters.
Willem

 

[samid]

FWIW - mini-Trangia worked well enough for me:
http://www.trangia.se/english/2924.mini_trangia.html
Small and light-weight.

 

[vernon]

FWIW - mini-Trangia worked well enough for me:
http://www.trangia.s...ni_trangia.html
Small and light-weight.

FWIW the mini Trangia did not work for me. It's more of an ultra lighweight obsessive's toolkit than a serious bit of kit for cycle touring. It has poor wind shielding - the heat transfer is less than good and portion size is limited by the capacity of the pan.

I take mine as a supplementary stove to my Trangia 27 if I'm camping with a car. I use it for tea making while I'm cooking some decent fare on the larger stove.

 

[thistler]

[QUOTE 1249354"]
I got a Trangia 27-5, with a gas burner instead of the meths one, for £14.99 in TKMaxx last year    May be worth a look just in case.
[/quote]
WOW!!!! 

 

[samid]

FWIW the mini Trangia did not work for me. It's more of an ultra lighweight obsessive's toolkit than a serious bit of kit for cycle touring. It has poor wind shielding - the heat transfer is less than good and portion size is limited by the capacity of the pan.

I take mine as a supplementary stove to my Trangia 27 if I'm camping with a car. I use it for tea making while I'm cooking some decent fare on the larger stove.

I use panniers as wind shields - works perfectly. Portion size is limited of course - it's a one-person set for sure.

 

[vernon]

I use panniers as wind shields - works perfectly. Portion size is limited of course - it's a one-person set for sure.

It's a once person set for an anorexic dwarf

 

[samid]

It's a once person set for an anorexic dwarf

Sure, that would be me!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

we have added the billy can for the trangia 27 which holds the trangia inside the billy can and it is a 2 person with large meals cooks set then and still does not weigh the same as the 25 or take up any where near the space either.
Billy can

 

[willem]

We have the larger billy for the 25. I think you must be wrong that the Trangia 27 plus billy is lighter and smaller than the 25. I should check, but surely this cannot be right. Also, the snag with the billy is that it sits on top of the windscreen rather than inside. So it is not nearly as efficient. So my advice remains: for two people the 25, and for solo use the 27. Gas is unnecessary for solo, but has some utility for two people. Choose carefully which Trangia model you buy. Go for UL, HA for the pots, and HA or Teflon for the frying pan. Forget the kettle.
Willem

 

[mike1026]

I have been using the Trangia 27 5UL Non Stick Pan Set for three years now.
I bought it with the gas burner and got the kettle, multi disc and meths burner as extras.
The non stick pans are very easy to clean, I have not noticed any wear to the non stick surfaces despite very heavy use but I only use plastic or wooden spoons and spatula.
I wrap the kettle in a J cloth and it sits inside the saucepan with the meths burner inside the kettle.
The multi disc is very useful as a strainer or as a cutting board/plate. I have satisfied myself that the kettle boils water quicker and thus with less fuel than the saucepan. This is useful for me as I like to have several hot drinks through the day. A kettle full of water is enough to fill a 500ml aluminium thermos flask, which means I can have two drinks on the way without getting the stove out. I bought the flask from Tesco for £1.99 and it is still going strong after three years! I keep my meths in a Trangia easy pour safety bottle. Carrying gas and meths gives me the flexibility to have enough fuel for not much weight for 2 - 3 weeks. I prefer to cook with gas.
I have used several different types of lightweight camping stove with different fuels including solid and wood. I have made wind breaks using panniers etc. but the Trangia is for me the perfect solution in any kind of wind with the added bonus of a solid base for cooking.
I like to cook on the way using foods from places that I pass by, I have even tried the recipe in the back of the Trangia book with nettles!